Many 2-stroke boat engines banned in California state parks

New emissions standards have now made many boats illegal to operate at state parks, and some boaters say its a bad move.

Starting Sunday, state park officials have the power to cite boaters who violate the new emissions standards -- and this new regulation applies to a specific type of boat engine.

A two star sticker on the side of Xavier Torres' boat engine means it is a low emissions engine -- making it compliant with the bureau of reclamation's new emissions standards. But Torres is still unhappy about the new rule. "I know a lot of people are trying to sell their jet skies, get rid off all that stuff. It's really sad and unfortunate."

Park rangers say the change is meant to have a positive impact on air quality across the state. "I think you're going to see more lakes and parks going to these emissions standards. We're trying to get clean air here in the Valley, we all know what that means for people with asthma and health problems," said Sgt. Mark Deleon, California State Parks.

The emissions standards mostly apply to 2-stroke out board engines. Those engines burn a mixture of gasoline and oil, and if they are older than a 2001 model -- they do not qualify.

"We do have enforcement options such as citations. However, we're still trying to transition. This was enacted in the general plan back in 2010. We're still trying to facilitate this process and let the public ease into this," said Deleon.

Four-Stroke engines are not impacted by the new standards, and so far state park officials say no citations have been given out.